Fort Lauderdale is nicknamed the "Venice of America" for its hundreds of canals filled with pleasure boats and riverfront housing, its tailor-made for singles and couples to visit. Situated next to Atlantic Ocean, its maritime way of life lets you conveniently sport fish, snorkel and dive at sunken ships and coral reefs just off the coast. Miles of ocean beaches engage you to stroll lushly landscaped walkways and a lighted wave wall at night. Beaching, boating, jogging and biking are a civic right. 185 miles of canals will tempt you to take romantic water ferries and enjoy waterside dining. Dining at the city spans from inventive Florida-Caribbean cuisine to Continental, with a daily exercise to locate the next “in” restaurant. Other popular activities include visits to the Seminole Reservation for a tour of Everglades. The many lakes, ponds, and tropical vegetation make for attractive golfing. Of course there’s always time for serious shopping on Las Olas Boulevard.

    Twenty miles north of Miami and a tad closer to the Bahamas, the marriage between Fort Lauderdale and the cruise industry was inevitable. The number of cruise ships in Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades is second only to those ported in Miami. More than a second gateway to Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale also has a rich cultural scene as evidenced by the Museum of Art, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, BankAtlantic Center, Museum of Discovery & Science, Fort Lauderdale Historical Museum and the South Florida Museum of Natural History.

    Always the Afrocentric cultural anchor for worship and festivals, Sistrunk Corridor is a must visit. Travelers who like to mix in Black cultural history sites with their visit can enjoy one of the nation’s few African American Research Libraries.

    Part of a dual persona of thriving metropolis and tropical gateway makes Miami and Fort Lauderdale ripe for creative expression. Pick up the pace or slow it down with equal reward. Add the unquestioned beauty of Biscayne Bay to skies that gently cascade between cobalt blue to baby blue for a large dose of natural eye-candy. Even short afternoon rains crackle with excitement. Where else on American shores can you find such an addictive recipe for self-actualization?